WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ga. — Providing mobile Wi-Fi technology on school buses will help thousands of students across Georgia who have trouble completing assignments online.
"It's slow because we live in a rural area and we don't have many options to choose from," Washington County 5th grade student Jakobe Poole said.
His WiFi connection at home makes it hard to submit schoolwork online.
"If we had better, faster internet we'd be able to complete more," Poole said.
Superintendent Rickey Edmond says about 45% of students in their district have problems accessing WiFi at home.
"It could be a case of just can't afford it. It could be a case of even if you have connectivity it's spotty at best. And then the third barrier we struggle with in our county is if you can get it, you still have a data use issue," Edmond said.
AT&T's donation of more than 400 "Wi-Fi Rangers" to the state department of education aims to help rural school districts bridge the gap.
"The remote WiFi units will allow us to place those on top of our buses which will give us the opportunity to extend hot spots out into the rural area of our county," Edmond said.
He says they were able to equip 12 buses with the WiFi hotspots, and each one can connect up to 45 devices at one time.
"I think it was good, because it will be able to help children with their everyday lives," Poole said.
36 rural districts across the state received the Wi-Fi units.
Edmond says theirs will be strategically placed around the county to reach each neighborhood.
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